


Handy-Caps

by Emerald_Leaves



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Childhood Friends, Cookies for Science!, Gen, Innocence, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Turtle Tots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-14
Updated: 2016-07-14
Packaged: 2018-07-23 21:25:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7480707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emerald_Leaves/pseuds/Emerald_Leaves
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Splinter must confront his two older sons about a VERY important issue. (Pure innocent, turtle tot fluff).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Handy-Caps

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AristaStarfyr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AristaStarfyr/gifts).



> Written as a small gift for AristaStarfyr who is awesome. Check her out. 
> 
> Enjoy!

While normally not one to complain about such things, Splinter was beginning to worry. It had started off so innocent, sweet, and quite frankly, he’d thought it was adorable. At first. Really there was no harm in it, it was just something that they had started from the goodness of their little hearts. But now, after all this time, the still new father was beginning to not only get worry, but exasperated. 

Looking down at his two oldest children, the rat frowned as they sat together on the floor, coloring. There was nothing inherently wrong at the moment, save for the fact that they were doing it again. As they always were. 

“Leonardo. Raphael,” he called, watching as two sets of eyes turned and stared up at him, smiling. 

“Hi-ya!” Raphael cried, beaming up at his father with bright green eyes. 

“Hello,” Leonardo replied sweetly. 

Their innocence was absolutely heart melting, and for just a moment, the rat wondered if he was really doing the right thing. But no, he had to address this, had to get them to see that they needed to stop. It was already affecting Leonardo’s handwriting. The boy was showing signs of becoming a promising calligraphist. It would be devastating if he set himself back because of something so…silly. 

“What are you doing, my sons?” he asked carefully. 

“Lookit!” the younger boy demanded as he sat up, his brother sitting up with him for comforts sake. “I drawed a snail!” 

Nodding, actually quite impressed by his young son’s mastery of the curly-cue, Splinter smiled. “Very good, my son!” he praised appropriately. “And you, Leonardo?” 

The little turtle smiled shyly as he showed his own picture. “I…I drew Raph and me.”

Indeed, there were two little rounded green blobs with big smiles on their little faces. One had two blue dots while the other had darker green in their faces to indicate which one was which turtle. There was a nice sun in the background with a smiley face as well, and clouds, and grass – things his children had only ever read and dreamed about in their sheltered lives. It made him sad to know that they could not go to the surface to see such things themselves. Perhaps one day…

But moving on to the heart of the issue, why he was here, seeing the problem reflected in the picture, Splinter made sure to smile and nodded. “That is lovely, Leonardo,” he complimented. “But my sons,” he continued, seeing an opportunity and pouncing, “would your art not be better if you let go of each other’s hand?”

Two little pairs of eyes stared up at him, blinking, completely confused. 

They didn’t understand. They obviously didn’t see a problem with their chronic handholding. They didn’t seem to mind that their progress in the arts and script was suffering because of their constant need to hold the other’s hand. It was starting to get old. Seeing them eat and use their silverware or chopsticks was awkward enough at this age without them trying to eat without breaking contact with their sibling. 

Sighing, knowing he was going to have to be more direct, Splinter decided he was just going to have to say it. He was going to have to burst their little bubbles. “Leonardo. Raphael. Please let go of each other’s hand.”

The two children turned to look at one another before staring back up at their father. “Why?” Raphael asked bluntly. 

Biting back another sigh, the rat drew upon his wealth of patience. “Because, my children, sometimes it is good for you to do things on your own once and awhile. Don’t you think that your art would look better if you had both of your hands?”

Again, the two looked at one another before Raphael shrugged. “I’m fine.”

It was easy to see that Leonardo did not want to disagree with his father, perhaps even knowing it would indeed be easier to write and draw if he were able to use his right hand – his dominate hand – rather than relying on his left, since the other was clasped firmly by his brother. But upon hearing his brother’s proclamation, and clearly also not quite wanting to relinquish the hand in his, Leonardo looked lost, almost panicked. 

“I-I’m okay,” he replied eventually. 

This was definitely not working out how Splinter thought this would. Apparently his children were in this to make him feel guilty. Twin expression of the purest innocence nearly undid Splinter’s resolve. But no, he had to do this. For both their sakes. 

“Are you certain?” he raised a brow. “Why do you not practice writing your names? Letting go of each other’s hand.”

Raphael narrowed his eyes, as though he were on to his father’s plan and did not approve. Either that or he did not like the idea of practicing writing his letters. Of all his children, his second eldest son had the most difficulty with writing. Somewhat ironic that it was Leonardo, the best thus far at writing legibly, whom Raphael had taken on as his ‘bestest buddy.’ 

“Maybe we should, Raphie,” Leo suggested cautiously. 

The younger terrapin snorted, but eventually let go of his brother’s hand and sat back down on the floor, taking up a crayon and stabbing it viciously at the paper, good mood having evaporated as he attempted to write his name. Leonardo sat beside his brother, offering him a sunny smile, before taking a fresh sheet from their precious paper supply and began to write his name with his dominate hand now. 

Letting out a breath, Splinter smiled slightly, watching his two sons as they continued to spend time with one another, but having finally let go of each other’s hands. It was a seemingly small victory, but a victory nonetheless. And as he continued to watch, he took mental note that Leonardo’s handwriting hadn’t suffered too much because of his self-inflicted handicap. Although, perhaps his eldest two would have an edge one day when it came to training with weapons, able to use both hands interchangeably. Being ambidextrous was certainly only an advantage to a ninja. 

But saving those thoughts for later, Splinter smiled and made sure pat each child on the top of their scaly little heads as he walked by, smiling even wider when he heard Leonardo offer to help his brother write. Raphael took up the offer, but the rat could hear the boy’s grumpy mumbles. He chuckled. 

With only one final fond shake of his head, he went to find his younger two children, praying that Donatello wasn’t trying to experiment on Michelangelo again. He really needed to have a talk with his youngest about selling himself to science for only a cookie.


End file.
